Larkspur (21 page)

“
The frost sets in,” Aden
said.

There was a shout. A police officer with a
cadaver dog ran in front of them.

“
Blane?” Rodney
asked.

“
I think he’s in the tent,
but I’m not sure,” Aden nodded. “Your guys, Pete, DeShawn, and
Jason, are . . .”

“
They’re good young men,”
Rodney nodded.

“
They’ve been able to help
keep track of every body,” Aden said. “Amazing. You hear they have
been able to identify all of them?”

“
That is amazing,” Rodney
nodded. “How’s Honey holding up?”

“
She’s working with MJ,”
Aden said. “Bambi and Colin too. These military guys,
they’re . . .”

“
Unbelievable what we can
do,” Rodney nodded.

Aden clapped him on the back in a gesture of
agreement.

“
What can I bring you?”
Aden asked.

“
Warm bed and a gorgeous
wife,” Rodney said.

“
I think you have that
covered,” Aden said.

“
You too,” Rodney
said.

“
It’s going to be a while
before we see them tonight,” Aden said.

“
But we will,” Rodney
smiled. “We are lucky men.”

“
Yes,” Aden
said.

“
We’re set!” Erik Le Monde
whistled.

Aden touched Rodney’s arm and ran to Wanda’s
father. Rodney watched them start to install the initial supports
to start work in a new area. A gargoyle flew to him. He
squinted.

“
There are eleven
breathing, waiting to be found,” the gargoyle said.

“
Where?” Rodney
asked.

The gargoyle pointed toward an area straight
in front of him.

“
They took over the
project from your company,” the gargoyle said. “Senior management
was meeting to delegate responsibilities. The entire structure
crumbled.”

Rodney whistled to get his team’s attention
from where they were taking a short break. He waved to his
team.

“
You should know,” the
gargoyle said.

Rodney’s eyes flicked to the gargoyle.

“
They hate you,” the
gargoyle said.

Rodney touched his chest. He and Aden were
the only ones who could see the gargoyles. He didn’t want to get
caught speaking to the air.

“
Not you, Rodney Smith,”
the gargoyle said. “Your company. Your freedom. They will say
Lipson Construction left them to die because you’re angry that they
took over the job.”

Rodney shrugged.

“
Where to, boss?” his
foreman ran to him.

Rodney pointed to the area the gargoyle
indicated.

“
Jeez, that’s where the
other teams kept their trailers,” his foreman said. “I thought
they’d checked them.”

“
Must have missed one,”
Rodney said. “Crumbled into the muck.”

The foreman didn’t respond. They’d saved too
many people to question Rodney’s direction.

“
Let’s get it done, then,”
the foreman said. He waved to their team and the men began the slow
walk across the old construction site.

“
Going to be a blood
bath,” the gargoyle said.

Rodney nodded. He jerked his shovel from the
mud and followed his team.

~~~~~~~~

Friday night — 9:15 p.m. MST

Denver, Colorado

“
Nash!” Noelle
whispered.

They were crouched just inside the basement
room that served as the shared old clothing closet. Nash shook his
head. The man they’d lured down to the basement rushed past them on
his way into the open gym. Glass crashed from the far end of the
room they were in. The kids hopped to their feet to be at the
ready. The clothing on hangers rocked. The room was silent. Teddy
poked his head out from under the clothing. Noelle beamed at him
and Nash waved.

“
You didn’t answer my
text,” Teddy whispered to Nash. “I thought you might be in
trouble.”

“
Some guys are trying to
steal Mrs. Jill’s babies,” Noelle whispered.

“
Heard something,” the man
said into his walkie-talkie. “Copy that.”

The kids ducked down. The man ran into the
room. He surveyed the hanging clothing and left the room. They
waited a few minutes before anyone dared to breathe. He was long
gone before they moved to a corner of the room where they could
whisper without risk of him hearing them.

“
Why would anyone want to
steal Mrs. Jill’s babies?” Teddy asked.

“
Some genetics thing,”
Nash said. “We’re not sure of the details, just that we have to
keep them running around the Castle
until . . .”

Teddy’s face went white.

“
What?” Nash
asked.

Teddy pointed behind Nash. The man they had
been avoiding had his arm around Noelle’s neck. His elbow was set
to crush her throat. He pointed a handgun at her head.

“
Takes a big man to beat
up a little girl,” Nash sneered at the man.

“
Scum,” Teddy
said.

“
Where are the babies?”
the man asked.

The man gasped. His eyes crossed and he
crumpled in place. A gargoyle stood in the doorway. Noelle coughed
and leaned forward. Teddy rushed to her side. The gargoyle nodded
to the kids and disappeared.

“
How come you never told
me you had gargoyles?” Teddy whispered.

Noelle and Nash looked at Teddy. They looked
at each other and laughed. Teddy smiled.

“
Can I have a gargoyle?”
Teddy asked.

“
They’re male fairies,”
Noelle said.

“
What?” Teddy
asked.

“
Don’t ask,” Nash said.
“We have to tie this guy up and go find the others.”

“
Thanks for coming to my
rescue,” Noelle said.

Noelle leaned forward and gave him a peck on
the lips. Teddy looked so surprised that he couldn’t speak. Nash
looked at his best friend and laughed.

“
There you are,” Charlie
said, as he rushed into the room. “I’ve been looking all over for
you.”

Charlie looked at Teddy, and then saw the
man on the floor.

“
Well done,” Charlie said.
“Teddy, grab his feet. Nash, help me.”

Teddy jumped to get the man’s feet. Nash and
Charlie grabbed him by the shoulders. They dragged the man into the
room’s closet. Noelle put a chair against the doorknob.

“
Come on,” Charlie said.
“We have to help the others.”

Nash ran after Charlie. Teddy held out his
hand and Noelle took it. They followed Charlie and Nash up the
stairs.

~~~~~~~~

Friday night — 9:15 p.m. MST

Denver, Colorado

“
And what are you supposed
to be?” Jeraine asked the gargoyle sitting in front of the outer
door to the Castle’s medical offices. He had parked in the alley
and come through the garden. He was standing on the deck Jake had
built.

The gargoyle hissed at him.

“
Are those spikes on your
wings?” Jeraine asked. “That’s just . . . wicked.
Are you a vampire?”

“
They call me a gargoyle,”
the creature said in Spanish.

“
How fancy,” Jeraine
replied in Spanish. “Will you get the fuck out of my way?
Now.”

The gargoyle extended his wings and floated
in front of the door.

“
Is this supposed to
impress me?” Jeraine asked. “I’m a drug addict. I’ve seen a lot
worse things than you.”

He set down his bags.

“
You’d better get out of
my way,” Jeraine said.

“
Never,” the gargoyle
said.

“
You see this?” Jeraine
pointed to the bags he was carrying. “This is sustenance for my
wife and her friends. The kids ate all their cake. Have you seen
those women when they’re hungry? They make you look
like . . . a fuzzy bunny.”

In spite of himself, the gargoyle
chuckled.

“
Why are you in my way?”
Jeraine asked.

“
You have Celt blood,” the
gargoyle said.

“
Whoopee,” Jeraine said.
“Look at the color of my skin. I have all kinds of blood running
through my veins.”

The gargoyle sneered and flew at Jeraine. He
stepped back.

“
All right,” Jeraine said.
“Why is this Celt thing such a big deal?”

“
It will take over,” the
gargoyle said. “And you will have the overpowering desire to kill
the children.”

“
Right now, I have the
overwhelming desire to kill you,” Jeraine said. “But I’m not
killing anyone.”

“
Why is that?” the
gargoyle hissed.

“
I’ve been to prison,
that’s why,” Jeraine said. “I spent many, many days in solitary
confinement. I’ve seen creatures like you and . . .
and . . .”

Memories from that horrible time in his life
flooded back, Jeraine began to sweat. The gargoyle squinted at
Jeraine.

“
And anyway, my Tanesha’s
there,” Jeraine said. “She is my life blood, the very pulse of my
heart. I would never do anything that would hurt her friends or
she . . . or she . . . and
I . . .”

Jeraine’s voice croaked. He cleared his
throat. The gargoyle continued his squinting stare.

“
Who the fuck are you,
anyway?” Jeraine asked.

“
I will let you in on one
condition,” the gargoyle said.

“
Okay,” Jeraine
said.

“
I will be with you at all
times,” the gargoyle said.

“
Deal,” Jeraine said.
“What’s your name?”

“
Tlaloc,” the gargoyle
said.

“
Aztec name,” Jeraine
nodded. “I’m Jeraine.”

“
Does that make Tanesha,
Miss T?” Tlaloc asked.

“
It does,” Jeraine said.
“How’d you know?”

The door opened and another gargoyle
appeared. Jeraine and Tlaloc went into the hall.

“
Did you bring your
guitar?” the gargoyle asked.

“
It’s in the car,” Jeraine
said. “Miss T asked me to play for Jill.”

“
I’ll get it,” the
gargoyle said.

“
Thanks,” Jeraine
said.

“
I’m a big fan,” Tlaloc
said.

“
I won’t forget what you
did here,” Jeraine said.

“
I’ll kill you if you hurt
the mother or the babies,” Tlaloc said.

“
Fair enough,” Jeraine
said. “You let me know if you want to hear a particular
song.”

“
How about ‘Anything for
Miss T’?” the gargoyle asked.

“
Done.”

They entered the medical offices’ waiting
room.

“
Miss T?” Jeraine called
to her in a loud voice.

Tanesha ran out of the exam room and threw
her arms around him. Terrified by all that was being asked of her,
she shivered in his arms. He held on tight. When she was breathing
easy, he kissed her neck.

“
Cake?” he
asked.

Tanesha stepped back. She gave him a long
look before seeing the gargoyle, Tlaloc.

“
Celt,” Tlaloc
said.

“
Thank you for letting him
in,” Tanesha said.

“
He’s going to play for
us,” Tlaloc said.

“
I have fans,” Jeraine
shrugged.

“
Do you have chocolate
cake?” Tanesha asked. “We’re desperate for it.”

Nodding, Jeraine smiled and followed her
into the exam room.

Chapter Two Hundred and
Sixty
-one
Fand and Manannan

The hall fell silent as Queen Fand wept. The
tiny sprites let out a mewing sound and the fairies around them
seemed to grieve as well. Jacob looked up when a drop of water fell
on his face. A light rain fell from the ceiling.

The Cleopatra fairy stepped forward.

“
We lived in peace until
the first human crossed our shore.” The fairy closed and opened her
large dark eyes, giving her words a kind of elegant emphasis. “We
do not know how he was able to find us. We were cloaked in fairy
magic, but Manannán . . . Those of us who met him on
the shore, loved him immediately. He had a way about him unlike any
other.

“
He came with a group of
settlers, men and women,” the Cleopatra fairy said. “He came with
many wives, and children.”

“
He was a king,” Gilfand
said. “He was tall, strong, and dark. He had an infectious energy.
We believe this energy slipped past our fairy magic, and allowed
them to land. His tribe set up dwellings along the shore. Fish was
plentiful. They prospered, and we . . .”

“
We ignored them,” Queen
Fand said, recovering herself and her story. “We agreed that there
was no reason to interact with these interlopers.”

“
Of course, once they were
on the island, they were protected by the fog from invading
armies,” Gilfand said. “No one could enter, and they could not
leave.”

“
All was right with them,”
the Cleopatra fairy said. “They had been looking for a home; they
found one on our island.”

As if the next part of the story could be
told only by Queen Fand, the fairies turned to look at her. She was
lost in memory. Noticing their attention, she smiled and the room
brightened.